Browsing by Author "Fana, Babalwa"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Investigating household food security during Covid-19 pandemic in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality with specific reference to the Freedom Park informal settlement
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12) Fana, Babalwa; Boatemaa, Sandra; Drimie, Scott; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : The achievement of universal access to food appears to be a global challenge, thereby jeopardising all efforts in meeting developmental goals implemented by countries. Nationally, South Africa is seen as food secure, however, at household and individual level food security is more problematic. Persistent poor socio-economic conditions are perceived as militating against food security. Covid-19 arrived at a time when South Africa was fighting food insecurity, especially in informal urban areas. The study was intended to examine the determinants of food insecurity of households in Freedom Park, an informal settlement in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality during the Covid-19 pandemic. Data collection was conducted in the second week of April 2020 and finished in the first week of July 2020. However, lockdown regulations were taken into consideration and the researcher ensured adherence to the regulations by maintaining social distancing, wearing a mask, and sanitising properly before entering a household and after completion of the interview. The study utilised quantitative research methods and design. A convenience nonprobability sampling method was chosen to sample 114 households that were interviewed. A questionnaire was developed with sections such as household demographic characteristics, information on movement of households, and food security questions as developed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Additionally, two FANTA food security indicators developed by USAID were used to evaluate levels of food insecurity in the sampled households. The two indicators were Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and Household Food Insecurity Access Prevalence (HFIAP). Data was captured using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and STATA. The data was analysed at univariate and bivariate levels of analysis, using descriptive statistics, chi-square, and P-values. Findings from the HFIAP indicator revealed that 66% of the households in Freedom Park were food insecure, and most of the households indicated moderately food insecure (34.7%) when compared with those that were mildly (28.8%) and severely (2.7%) affected. Only 34% of the sampled population was found to be food secure. The HFIAS score was between 2 and 27, with 16 being the median, showing greater vulnerability of households to food insecurity. The findings also identified that there was no statistical significance of the variables such as marital status, sex, income, population group, and employment on food security. Levels of education and social grants had a statistical significance of 0.00 with chi-square values of 43.7 and 23.2, respectively. The study recommends the implementation of urban agriculture through the establishment of food gardens, as all the households indicated that they were not involved in any form of food production, implying that all food for consumption was purchased from the market. This study has policy implications and suggests the intervention of government in maintenance and protection of food systems so that they do not collapse during periods of shock and uncertainty.